Ecosystems

The above link is a good review to assess AFTER having some activity in class.

This link can help consolidate the terms with paraphrasing and adding the words to a diagram of the ecosystems. There is no diagram included. Students can draw one as discussed in class.

This page is an organizer. Using books or material provided by the teacher, students can record some key characteristics. This might be good to copy on the board and let students contribute to the lists.

This is a review of ecosystem basics.

This was originally part of a discussion based on a quick trip to Riverdale Farm - this could be altered to reflect a discussion based on pictures or videos of farms. An interesting activity would be to ask students to work in groups, and provide students with different //types// of farms: small, mixed farm; intense livestock (cattle, chickens), large corn fields, Peruvian terrace farms, Ecuadorian cloud coffee farm, Indian tea plantation.

Even though the file states CARBON, all four of the cycles related to soil are present: Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The images seem similar from diagram to diagram. Asking students to compare and contrast the pictures can help them identify how the cycles are different. Carbon and nitrogen have important atmospheric components, but potassium and phosphorous do not. These diagrams help with the Cycles project below.

This page depends on information from a webpage - if computers are not available, the webpage can be printed and copied. This gives students a chance to work in groups to extract small amounts of the information. This encourages a collective approach to developing understanding.

Instead of each student completing this (you don't have time) this project could involve groups of students contributing to a single model that can be used later as a review for the exam. The rubric is included so that they can compare the completed model to the criteria and make further improvements. This would be useful to prepare them for a later assignment that they can do on their own, if time permits.

This can be fun if you have the test kits. They are available from most permanent garden centres.

Salt water and fresh water ecosystems can be contrasted. Ontario has no salt water ecosystems, but the Great Lakes flow to the St. Lawrence and join the Atlantic Ocean, so we are connected.

There is not enough time to do this lab, but it can be an interesting exploration. Freshwater plants can be purchased from an aquarium store. These plants must be discarded after use.

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